M.S. Unnikrishnan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 3

Hockey Punjab has geared up for a battle royal against Hockey India till it is given affiliation by the apex body. Hockey Punjab president Sukhbir Singh Badal said here today that it was strange and unbecoming of reason that the unified hockey body of the State was being denied affiliation by Hockey India. He said Hockey India was holding the future of Punjab players to “ransom” by refusing to give affiliation to Hockey Punjab.

Sukhbir Badal, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, said the stubborn stand of Hockey India was a serious blow to the State’s efforts for the revival of the game.

Hockey Punjab secretary-general and ex-Indian captain Pargat Singh said Hockey Punjab was being denied affiliation despite being the first State in the country to hoist a unified body, following the direction of Hockey India.

He said ever since Hockey Punjab was formed four months ago, the association had written four letters – the last letter was despatched on December 10 – to Hockey India seeking affiliation, but the State had met with stony silence from the other end.

Badal asserted that Hockey Punjab would exercise all its options before taking legal recourse to get affiliation from Hockey India. Hockey India had announced that on January 29, proper elections would be held to put a legitimate body in place, instead of the present ad hoc arrangement to run the affairs of hockey.

Addressing a crowded press conference here today, in which Punjab Olympic Association (POA) president Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and office-bearers of Hockey Punjab were also present, Sukhbir Badal said the onus was now on IOA president Suresh Kalmadi, who is also the key man at the helm of Hockey India, to explain why Hockey Punjab was being denied affiliation.

“We were the first State body to abide by the IOA guidelines to form Hockey Punjab by merging the three associations in the State”, explained Pargat. Sukhbir said it was the democratic right of Hockey Punjab to get affiliation to the apex body.

“Why that right is being denied to Punjab is a perplexing mystery. It is very strange and intriguing”, he added. Sukhbir said not only Punjab, but other hockey nurseries like Jharkhand, Delhi, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala etc. were also being denied affiliation without assigning any plausible reason.

Sukhbir said, “The maximum number of hockey players in the Indian team are from Punjab.” He said there were six players from the State in the senior team, three in the women’s team and nine in the junior team.

“Kalmadi has to give us an answer why Punjab and other States are being denied the right for recognition,” Sukhbir asserted. He said before Hockey Punjab was formed, due procedure, as laid down by the IOA, and implemented through the POA, was followed in the merger of the three hockey bodies in the state as a single unit, as was mandated by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

Pargat said when he met FIH vice-president Peter Von Oudorze some time back, he had assured that Hockey Punjab would be given affiliation by Hockey India. “But whenever I approach Hockey India for affiliation, they say verbally that there are complaints against the State body, though it was never explained what those complaints were. Nor such things were put in writing”, noted Pargat.